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METHODOLOGY
To address its research questions, USADA commissioned Discovery Education to conduct an online survey (a complete questionnaire can be provided upon request). A total of 8,934 surveys were completed, representing five different audience segments:
- General population adults ages 18-64 (n=4,443): Individuals selected from a general population panel and weighted using U.S. Census data to be demographically representative of the U.S. general population,
- NGB Adults (n=370): Members of national governing body (NGB) sport organizations who are 18 years or older, and who participate in sport, are parents of children who participate, or are officials or volunteers. (For the definition of an NGB, see box this section.),
- NGB Coaches (n=193): Individuals who are coaches for NGBs. (For definition of an NGB see box this section.),
- Teachers (n=201): Educators recruited from the Discovery Education call list who teach at the K-12 or at the college levels (majority teach middle school or high school), and distributed nationally as follows: Northeast: 23%, Midwest: 20%, South: 33%, West: 24%,
- Children ages 8-17, including:
- General population children participants ages 8-17 (n=2,263):
Children in the general population who either participate in organized
sport through a competitive league/club (not associated with school),
through a school team, through community-based leagues, or participate
in informal sport (not organized through official entities),
- NGB
children (n=646): Youth (ages 8-17 years old) participating as members
in NGB-level sport. (For definition of an NGB, see box this section.),
- General
population non-participant children (n=681) Children obtained from the
general population who have minimal or no participation in sport.
Respondents from NGB sport organizations were recruited from substantial and well-maintained lists provided by the following NGB organizations (for definition of an NGB, see box this section.): USA Fencing Association, USA Hockey, US Youth Soccer, USA Swimming, USA Taekwondo, and USA Track & Field. For the purposes of this study, the sampling of NGB sports included is based on a preference to have a representative cross-section of those played in the United States, including, but not limited to, the following criteria: summer sports, winter sports, large, small, with and without comprehensive youth components, with and without professional leagues, and a balance of youth participation, gender participation, geographic diversity, and ethnic diversity. Additional sports were contacted but unable to participate for various reasons.
The study was fielded from December 18, 2009 to January 20, 2010. The several survey forms took an average of 21 minutes to complete. USADA worked closely with an institutional review board (IRB) to ensure the project was in compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) regulations. Surveys sent to those in the general population were “blind,” with no indication of the identity of the surveying party.
The online panel utilized in this survey was managed by Opinion Outpost. The online sampling method and sample size used in this survey produced results that are representative of the populations described. The 4,443 adult respondents have been weighted to reflect the U.S. Census for age, ethnicity and geography.
In addition to the quantitative study, 128 brief qualitative online interviews were conducted, focused primarily on the emphasis of winning in sport. Respondents were split between adults and children, and included 26 general population adults, 20 coaches, 20 teachers, 21 children ages 8-10, 21 tweens ages 11-13, and 20 teens ages 14-17.
This report emphasizes quantitative research findings among general population adults, but it also includes findings among the other primary subgroups as well as some demographic subgroups in which key statistically significant differences exist.
A national governing body (NGB) is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sport governing bodies can impose disciplinary actions for rule infractions and serve as the arbiter of rule changes in the sport that they govern. They also set the conditions for and supervise competitions. Every Olympic sport is subject to the oversight of an NGB, which also should provide training and education on the values and ethical expectations of the given sport.
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